Dispatch Qualifications & Training

[shakirarah]

Would be really grateful if someone could give me some advice on the qualifications needed to become a dispatcher.

I have been looking on the web and have only found 6-8 week FAA courses in the US.

Are there any establishments in the UK that cover this topic, and how long do they take? Also does one need an extensive knowledge of aviation prior to the course.

I have also come across Avtech 2000, they do an OPs and Dispatch City and Guilds by correspondance, any thoughts or opinions on this qualification?

All help greatly appreciated.

[Departures Beckham]

There is no qualification required to become a dispatcher, you will instead attend a 2-3 week training course run by the company you work for. Once the course has been completed YOUR COMPANY will sign you off as a qualified dispatched, as there is no CAA dispatch qualification. The FAA qualification is only required for US airlines, so don't worry about that now, your company will arrange for that if required.

Previous knowledge of aviation is not required to do the job, but previous experience of the airport environment is a definite advantage.

[SAIIP]

Shakirarah,

Dispatcher in the UK usually called Flight Operations Controller/Officer, while Despatchers are widely known as Red Cap or Ramp Coordinator.

For qualification wise, the Avtech 2000 C&G Ops is good enough for the UK, but if you have time and some spare cash the FAA option is definitely a plus. Alternatively, you can try to write to some companies to see if they can take you on as Ops Assistance to build up your experience at the same time study the C & G course.

About the FAA licence, although they don't require any prior experience, it is useful to get some studying done here. The 6 weeks course is very intense with lots of things t memorise, but is rewarding after all. The course doesnt' come cheap but is something worth to consider for. For the school usually are Sheffield and AFDTC, since they are the most well-known training facilities for dispatch only nothing else.

Check this out: http://www.eufalda.org/
http://www.dispatcher.org/

Other thing to consider is the money situation pay wasn't as good as it used to be. In addition if you have no prior operations experience, it may take at least 6 - 8 months before you can earn a decent salary as a controller. I can't recall the exact figure but I think the ops assistant start from 14-18K while controller begin at 20-23K (may be someone else can assist on the figure).

Anyway, best of luck. :ok:

[DUCKMAN052001]

Here in the US if you have no other licence (Pilot or any other FAA licence) you will need to take the 6 to 8 week class (FAA mandate). Here is a link to the school I went to
www.flightcontrolacademy.com (http://) :E

[MriyaDream]

:) Shakirarah

I started by doing two City & Guild courses (the second course covers Dispatch & Ops), then had nearly four years experience, most in long-haul Dispatch with what was once the No.1 UK charter airline. Based on that the college I am going to in Minnesota is allowing me to do the course by correspondance, which means that I do the computer test here in the UK & only do two weeks in the States. The rest is course work sent into the college.

Duckman is correct re the 6-8 weeks, but it depends on your experience & if you can prove it eg via your employer. Try the college, details are:-
Academy Training Services / www.atidispatch.com email [email protected]
Have you looked at the Airline Dispatchers Federation web site, it's worth a look. Best of luck.....Brgds MriyaDream

[opsboy]

Shakirarah,

Getting the FAA ticket is a useful add-on to your CV. The experience and knowledge gain together with the recognition worldwide. About 4 years ago, I went to the AFDTC in Fort Worth, bring back lots of memories. Because the numbers of Dispatch school in US are increasing, likes the English School in London you should think carefully when choosing it. Try to shop around if you can.

There are two well known and established schools, one is AFDTC (Airline Flight Dispatcher Training Centre) http://www.airlinedispatcher.com, the other is Sheffield School of Aeronautics http://www.sheffield.com. I can’t guarantee they are the cheapest but certainly are the most well known school only train dispatchers.

Good luck